Handcuffs
by FallenMystery
Summary: Not as entirely kinky as it sounds, I promise! Another bit of Lily and James drabble, though it kind of has a plot! If you liked 'I am Up to No Good', you'll love this! FIN
1. Epitome of Studmuffins

Disclaimer: If I were JK, I'd lay around on silk cushions all day and have Sirius feed me grapes while Cedric and Draco fanned me with palm leaves or something.

"So tell me again, Lily, love, what is so fabulous about Hogwarts?" the ebony haired girl asked her friend.

"You'll see," the redhead told her friend as they headed for platform nine and three quarters. "I think you'll find that there are a few more… studs… than you found in Beauxbatons."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Please. Beauxbatons is and all girls school!"

"Exactly," was the reply as Lily pushed her through what had appeared to be a solid wall.

"Ack!" she exclaimed, falling sideways through the barrier, landing at the feet of some guy.

Strong hands helped her up. "Remus Lupin," the sixteen year old wizard declared with a grin.

"Ebony Jzelle…" Ebony trailed off, gaping. He was gorgeous. The end.

"Hey Remus," Lily said, walking through the barrier. "Have you misplaced your—"

"OI! REMIE!"

"Friends?" Lily cringed.

Three dashing blokes came rushing up to nearly tackle Remus. _Oh my god. I think I could die. _They all straightened to look at the girls, grinning.

"Let's see," Remus said. "This is Peter Pettigrew." The blonde boy bowed. _Cute. Most definitely._ "James Potter_." Hazel eyes and windswept hair. May I have your love children? _ "And Sirius Black." _Mr. 'I'm sexy and you know it'? You, my dear, belong in handcuffs. Chained to my bed…_ "Guys, this is Ebony Jzelle."

"You look tall to be a first year," commented 'I'm sexy and you know it'. _Wow. Looks AND brains._

Ebony rolled her eyes. "Dumbass, I'm transferring from Beauxbatons."

"You don't sound French." _Have I seen you on a poster somewhere?_

The train whistle blew. Lily and Ebony scampered to find a compartment. "Goodness, Lils," Ebony said. "You could have TOLD me I was walking into an epitome of stud muffins!" A guy ran past our compartment. "Why did no one ever tell me Britain had such dishy blokes running around everywhere?"

Lily grinned. "Those were the Marauders. They live to make my life hell."

Ebony's amethyst eyes widened. "So they spend a lot of time around you?"

"I'm almost never alone."

"Excuse me while I pray to every god anyone has ever thought of, thanking them for my sudden transfer to the Land of Studs." Ebony went down on her knees. "WAIT!"

"What?"

"Do we share sleeping quarters?"

"… no."

"Damn."

.xXx.

"New girl on the premises?" commented Sirius as the Marauders lounged in their usual compartment.

"Seems so," James replied, only half-paying attention. "Maybe it'll keep other guys off of Lily for a while."

The other Marauders traded a look. No one dared touch Lily, as it was a known fact that James would beat the erring bloke to a bloody pulp that even the maggots wouldn't recognize as human.

Sirius was quiet for a moment. His mind was caught with that tall, slim figure with the boyishly short black hair and wide purple eyes. "She's cute," he commented nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" James exploded, ready to throttle his best mate.

Sirius held his hands up in defense. "The new girl, you prat!"

"Oh." James settled back down to thinking about Lily. The Marauders exchanged another look, this time a head shake, over their friend's obsession.

.xXx.

Two months later, Ebony was beginning to adjust to the attention of the Marauders, or the 'Stud Club' as she referred to them. Their statuses soon became obvious to her.

Remus, aka Gorgeous: Handsome in a natural, wholesome way. Quieter than the rest, slightly shy. Also mysterious and is hiding something. Must find this out.

Peter, aka Very Cute: Not so fabulous. Cute enough, but jumpy and kind of annoying at times. Mostly a follower. Absent at strange moments. Must investigate.

James, aka Father of Our Love Children: Off limits. Lily's obsessed with him, but won't admit it. Also Lily's protector, shield, and tormentor. Must get those two together.

Sirius, aka I'm Sexy and You Know It: FLIRT! Easy on the eyes and ears, fun to flirt with. Prankster and troublemaker. Definitely most attractive. Must handcuff to bed.

"Sirius!"

"Yes darling dear!" Ebony rolled her eyes. That boy was always calling her by pet names.

"I have an idea for a prank!" Sirius ran to her side.

"And!"

.xXx.

Sirius gazed at the new girl. She was confident, and she had reason to be. Her personality screamed confidence and fun. He had her pretty much sorted out.

Ebony, aka I'm Sexy and You Know It: Flirt. Easy on the eyes and ears. Fun to flirt with. Prankster, certainly. Troublemaker, too. And _so_ attractive. Note to self, must handcuff to bed.

.xXx.

James didn't bother disguising the stare he was giving Lily. She was beautiful, and she knew it. She had to, the way she seemed to taunt him with her looks and her mind.

Lily, aka, I'm Sexy and You Know It: Tease. Easy on the eyes and ears. Dangerous with a wand. Prefect. Perfect. And _so_ attractive. Must handcuff to bed. MUST NEVER LET HER KNOW, OR SHE'LL KILL ME!

.xXx.

Lily watched James through half-lidded eyes. If anyone knew a _tenth_ of the attraction she felt for him, she'd be ruined. He was just so gorgeous. He radiated sexiness and cool. But she had him sorted out by now.

James, aka I'm Sexy and You Know It: Flirt. Easy on the eyes and ears. Should NOT flirt with. Dangerous—mortal enemy… kind of. But _so_ attractive. Must handcuff to bed. MUST NOT LET ANYONE KNOW SECRET AMBITION!

A/N: soooooooooo? Yeah, I know, kinda pathetic that I'm writing ANOTHER fic. I promise there'll be lots of LJ in the next chapter, I just wanted y'all to get used to Ebony first.


	2. Immune? Maybe

Disclaimer: I may or may not own a pair of handcuffs, but I do NOT own harry potter and whatnot.

By Christmas Holidays, Ebony was nearly immune to the flip-flops her stomach did when Sirius touched her, and could almost breathe when he was around. Almost.

Sirius flopped down on the couch next to Ebony, an arm naturally finding its way around her shoulders. "So, my beloved, what are we going to do about The Clueless Wonders?"

Ebony stared at him for a long minute. "The who?"

"James and Lily," he whispered conspiratorially.

"Oh, them," she said, rolling her eyes. She had more important things to work on at the moment. Like remembering to breathe. _In… Out… In… Out… In… goodness his cologne smells so good. Sort of like apple, only with that boyish, cologne kind of smell. Wow, I'm kind of getting dizzy. Hmm, I wonder why—oh shit. Out… In… Out… _

"—bony? Ebs? You okay?" Sirius peered at her, concerned.

"Yeah." _Just thinking about handcuffing you to my bed. Ya know, like normal people do._

"So what are we going to do about Prongs and Lily?" Those nicknames again…

"Shove them in a broom closet without their wands and not let them out until they've admitted their undying love for each other?" _Or I could handcuff you to my bed and not let you go until.. well, actually, never._

"We tried that one back in fifth year. Lily glared at the door so hard that the bloody thing exploded.

"Oh." So much for that plan. _We could just handcuff you to my bed anyway. _

"I know! Let's put Lily in mortal peril, and James'll have to—" he cut off, seeing Ebony's glare. "Or not?"

_Ooh, I have an even better idea! We'll handcuff ME to YOUR bed! _"Truth Serum?"

Sirius shook his head. "Slughorn doesn't keep a big supply of it, and we, well—"

"I don't want to know." _I just want to be handcuffed to your bed. Is that so much to ask?_

"Or we could just handcuff you to my bed."

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, HE DID NOT! REWIND, PLEASE!

"Or we could just handcuff you to my bed." HOLY GOD. He did. Sirius paled considerably as Ebony stared at him. Wow. "Um…"

"Or we could handcuff _you_ to _my_ bed," she retorted. _Please don't let me faint!_

They both chuckled awkwardly. "Uh. Yeah."

Fortunately, James burst into the common room. "Don't tell her I went this way!" he ordered as he ran through the room and up the stairs. As soon as he disappeared, Lily stormed in.

"Where did he go!"

Wordlessly, Sirius and Ebony pointed up the stairs. Lily quickly followed in pursuit.

"I'll bet they went to go find handcuffs," Sirius commented.

Ebony stared at him. "James has handcuffs?"

"No." She sighed in relief. Then Sirius grinned wickedly. "But I do."


	3. Maybe Not

Disclaimer: If I were JK? Sirius would really be handcuffed to my bed.

Lily stormed up the Boys' staircase. Potter was so dead. SO dead. She flung open the Marauders door, to be met with a very _strange_ sight.

James Potter was handcuffed to a bed. Which was doing terrible things for Lily, who was trying her best to hate him as it was. The sight of him handcuffed to a bed…

"Um, Potter?"

"It wasn't my fault! I was going to hide under Sirius' bed, and apparently he's got a spell on it so whoever touches his bed, besides himself, is HANDCUFFED to it!"

Downstairs, Ebony stared at Sirius with a combination of awe and bemusement. The stud muffin smiled rakishly and opened his mouth to say something. Ebony clapped a slender hand over his lips and glared warningly. They both loved to watch Lily and James's skirmishes, as Ebony had no temper to speak of, and Sirius' temper was only sparked if a) you insulted or threatened one of his friends or b) you were a Slytherin and you existed. So Ebony didn't want to miss a moment of the show.

"Potter. You're handcuffed to a bed."

"Thank you, captain obvious."

The gorgeous redhead looked at a loss for words. "Oh my goodness."

Sirius licked Ebony's palm. Instead of making a face and pulling back, like he expected, the girl grinned devilishly. She carefully licked the entire palm of her free hand and slowly, deliberately, wiped it down the side of his face.

"A little help, Evans?" James asked, nearly hysterical.

_Guess it's not HIS dream to be handcuffed to Sirius's bed. Goodness, and I thought everyone hoped for that!_

Lily's lips curved into a seductive smirk. _Here goes nothing_, she thought. The redhead sauntered over to the bed and trailed a finger along the curve of James's face. His eyes widened. "Do you _really_ want me to uncuff you?"

James' mind screamed, _NO!_, but his head tried to nod the affirmative. He stopped it. "What are the consequences of me staying cuffed?"

Lily's practical, evil, side took over. "Well, eventually, Sirius will come back… But for now?" the smirk was back. Lily leaned over him, slowly… James' eyes widened to the extreme.

"Oi!" Sirius said from the doorway, Ebony at his side. James and Lily froze. Not that James had much of a choice, of course. "Those are my handcuffs! Get your own!" The two culprits blushed. Lily fled the room, dragging Ebony with her.

Sirius stared down at his friend. "Mate, I'm flattered, but you're handcuffed to my bed. A bloke has to draw the line somewhere."

Ebony smirked at Lily. Lily bristled under the look. "Why is your hand all wet?" she snapped.

"Oh, er, never mind that." Ebony hastily wiped her hand on her skirt.

"Stop looking at me like that." Ebony smirked all the more.

"James Potter was handcuffed to a bed." Lily was silent. "You _enjoyed_ it." More silence. "You _like_ him."

"DO NOT!" she exploded.

Ebony's coal black eyebrows raised, reaching for her hairline. "Dear, you were being _seductive_." Lily had no response to this. Ebony changed tactics. "I think he likes you."

Those wide green eyes were turned to Ebony and filled with such raw hope that Ebony had to smile. "You think?" Lily whispered, as if it were impossible.

The brunette had to resist the urge to roll here eyes. "Hon, it is a known fact that James Potter will beat any bloke who comes near you to a bloody pulp, is it not?"

"He just does that to be a prat."

"He honestly doesn't want anyone near you! And he's always asking you out."

"To annoy me."

"Because he hopes that you'll say yes! And he's always trying to look cool around you."

"Showoff."

"To impress you!" with every comment, Ebony became more frustrated with her friend. No wonder she hated James Potter if this was the way she truly thought!

"If he likes me so much, why doesn't he say so?" Lily asked. Her friend resisted the urge to smack herself on the forehead.

"Remember the reason you were trying to kill him a few minutes ago."

"Yes! The prat came up to me in the hallway and said that I was like the sun—his day didn't truly start until he saw—oh. Wow. So that's what this has all been about."

"Imagine that."

A/N: so, yeah. I'm sitting in a car, typing this on my daddy's laptop. In California. Because I'm on vacation. This fic is my lifeline. Siriusly. It's keeping me from killing someone. 'cos my counselor called yesterday to let me know (while I'm on vacation) that I failed geometry second term and now have to take it CBE. Siriusly! Then my bf called to break up with me. Once again, WHILE I'M ON VACATION. He has no guts. Bastard. Siriusly, he called like ten minutes after my counselor did, so I was pissed off already. And I was too effing stunned to even come up with one of my token snapdragon retorts. Ugh. Shoot me now.


	4. The Evil Plan

Disclaimer: I hate disclaimers. As if Jo would write something on Fanfic, anyway, so none of us are her. Besides, authors have to, like, sell themselves to their publishers. Then the publishers own everything they do with writing, so it would be, like, illegal for Jo to type on fanfic, anyway, though she _does_ read them. But one day, when my novel is published? I'm going to create another penname and review on the fanfics people do of it . 'Cos I think that'd be fun. Though I'd say my name was Brigit or something…

FM

Sirius and Ebony lounged on a couch, every now and then glancing over their shoulders to make sure no one was near enough to see what they were writing. Finally, Ebony sat back.

"Okay, call in the rest of the Stud Club," she said.

Sirius pulled out a small hand mirror. "Reeeeeeeeeeemus, Peeeeeeeete, come to the Coooooooooommon Rooooooooom. This is your cooooooooooonscience speeeeeeeeaking. Aaaaaaaaaaalso, give Sirius one thoooooooooooousand Gaaaaaaaalleons." Sirius made his voice all spooky and strange. Remus and Peter didn't know that Sirius had planted the other two mirrors in their bags. Soon enough, Remus entered the common room. He was walking funny, kind of like a zombie.

"Sirius," he said, his voice monotone, his eyes zoned out. "I had this strange compulsion to give you one thousand Galleons. Here you go." He started pulling Galleons out of his pocket.

Sirius stared as Ebony giggled. She knew leprechauns' gold when she saw it. Then Remus grinned evilly and the gold vanished. "Sirius, will you ever learn?"

Sirius pouted. "Meanie."

"So why am I here?"

"Wait for Pete."

Remus shook his head. "He was stuffing his face, I don't think he'll listen to his 'conscience.'"

"Okay, then!" Ebony said brightly. Both boys looked at her. "What?" They shook their heads. "WHAT?" No one said anything. Ebony made an exasperated noise and picked up the piece of parchment she and Sirius had been working on. "So, here's the plan—"

"Plan for what?" asked Remus.

Ebony rolled her eyes. "Were you not _listening_?"

"You didn't explain anything!"

"I didn't?" the girl thought for a moment. "Wow, you're right."

"Now I see how you can understand Sirius."

The ebony haired teenagers looked at each other. "I'm not sure if that's an insult or a complement."

"Neither am I," Remus teased.

"You will pay for that," Ebony told him.

"I'll miss ya, mate," Sirius said.

"_Anyway,_ our plan is to get Lily and James together."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Eb, you may have noticed, but we've been trying to do that for years."

Ebony grinned wickedly. "Not my way, you haven't." Sirius and Remus looked at each other. Ebony understood the glance perfectly. "Oh yes boys, be _very_ afraid."

A/N: Heeeeeeeeeey kids, it's me. I love you all dearly. You're lovely, gorgeous, fabulous people who I adore SOOOO much! Now that I've flattered you, I'm going to provide you with some entertainment! There's this little funny looking button in the bottom right corner, and it says 'SUBMIT REVIEW'. Click it and it does a trick!


	5. Veritaserum?

Disclaimer: I only type disclaimers to humor the people who run fanfic. And so I don't get sued…

"Everyone set?" Ebony whispered into the mirror. After receiving the affirmative, she carefully levitated Lily out of her bed… down the stairs… across the Common Room… up the stairs… across the dorm… and left her on James' bed. Ebony quickly hurried away to stand just outside the door. Sirius and Remus climbed back into their beds, pretending to sleep, even as Remus shot 'ennervate' at Lily.

Lily shot up in bed, disoriented. _Why am I in James' bed! **James?** I mean Potter, POTTER, dammit! **Friendly, aren't we?** I only called him James on accident! **I was referring to the fact that you're in his BED.** Oh. That. Stop talking to me.** I am the little voice inside your head. It's my JOB to talk to you.** Ha! I knew I had a little voice inside my head! _

Lily carefully stood, then gingerly trod towards the door. A sharply aimed spell caused her to trip, fall backwards, and push a pile of stuff to the floor as landed on James' bed. All of the Marauders, including James, flew to immediate awareness. They all stared at a very red Lily.

"James, is there something you'd like to explain?" Remus wanted to know.

"Or confess?" Sirius added. Peter slept on.

Ebony dashed into the room, 'panting'. "What happened? There was this noise, and—Lily Isabella Evans, just _what_ are you doing!"

"I—er—" she looked at James. "Potter kidnapped me!"

Ebony's charcoal eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"

"H-he kidnapped me and put me in his bed, to-to…" Lily trailed off, realizing how weak her retort was. Ebony burst out laughing.

"Lily, love, were you sleepwalking again?" Lily blushed.

"You sleepwalk?" James wanted to know, finding his voice for the first time, his eyes never leaving Lily.

"No," she denied.

Sirius and Remus burst out laughing. Ebony smirked a little. "Maybe we should just handcuff you to your bed."

"Ebony?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up." Lily glared at Sirius, then Remus. While she looked at them, Ebony winked at James. His face lit up. He then quickly hid this expression as Lily glared at _him_. "Don't think you're off the hook, Potter." She snapped, taking a threatening step towards him.

"Hey, I was soundly asleep until _you_ woke me up!"

Lily seemed to think this over. "Alright, truth serum."

"Slughorn's out," Ebony replied immediately, without thinking.

Lily turned her bloodhound expression on Ebony. "How do you know?"

"I was discussing potions and whatnot with him the other day, and he mentioned that he didn't have Veritaserum," the amethyst eyed girl lied calmly, not even fumbling for a response.

"Hey Lily," asked James. "Will you—"

"NO, Potter, I will NOT go out with you! Stop asking me that!"

James raised his own eyebrows. "Actually, I was going to ask you to get off of my foot."

Lily blushed yet again. "Sorry," she mumbled, stepping off James' foot. Ebony scowled. This was _not_ going as planned. Trust a Marauder to mess up a girl's brilliant plans. Sirius and Remus looked at her. She shrugged. _Not my fault._

Sirius looked at Ebony. The plan wasn't working… The girl shrugged in a 'Not my fault' manner. Sirius gave a nearly imperceptible nod of his head. **_I know. It's James'. What a blockhead._**

(A/N: the following will be a silent conversation between E and B)

_Stupid Marauder._

_**I don't think he can help it. **_

_Sucks to be him._

_**I'm glad I don't have his problem. Oh, damn. I do.**_

_What problem is that?_

_**He's hung up on this one girl.**_

"Are you two okay?" Lily wanted to know. "You've been silent for a while…"

"Oh, right. Chipper," Ebony replied, without really thinking. So Sirius was hung up on someone? Damn. She should have known she couldn't keep the player's eye for very long.

"Okay. Um, how about we all pretend that I never woke up in James' bed?"

The four students stared back at her. "Yes, I suppose if you ask a dumb question, you'll get a corresponding answer." No one responded. Lily sighed exasperatedly and strode from the room.


	6. An Evil Plan that Prevails!

Disclaimer: So here I am, typing a bloody disclaimer with one hand 'cos my other arm is in a sling, and you have the NERVE to rip my heart apart by making me admit that Harry Potter isn't mine! How dare you!

The two handsome Marauders looked at the tall brunette. She pressed her lips firmly together, her violet eyes hesitant. Her entire posture reflected indecision, something they weren't accustomed to seeing in her.

"I… I hadn't wanted it to come to this," she said slowly, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to say anything at all. "But I think we've run out of options." The two boys, both tall, one with naturally sexy, shaggy black hair and the other with perfectly groomed sand colored hair. "I don't think we have much of a choice." She paused, thinking her plan over. When she continued, she sounded much more self assured. "Yes, yes, this is the only way."

"What are we going to do?" asked the gray-eyed boy.

"I know you said you've tried something like it before, but… Ever locked anyone in the Room of Requirements?"

Dawning comprehension spread over the boys' faces.

.xXx.

Lily woke slowly, her vision fuzzy. Her head ached fiercely and her tongue felt thick and clumsy. In fact, she felt rather like she had a hang-over. She blinked her eyes rapidly, forcing them to focus, even just a little. What she saw caused her to jerk backwards, nearly falling off the bed.

_Why does this keep happening to me?_ She wondered as she looked into James Potter's confused face. Then Lily realized that they weren't in the Marauders' dorm.

"I think we've been hoodwinked," James said slowly. Lily hated him for being able to form a complete sentence.

.xXx.

"How do you think they're doing?" Ebony wondered out loud.

"James is probably dead," Sirius rationalized. "I'll sure miss him. Wonder if he left me his broom in his will."

Ebony smacked him upside the head. "You prat."

"Smart to do this over Christmas break."

Ebony bowed gracefully. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all year."

"And the year after," Sirius added, grinning. Ebony didn't say anything. He looked at her, startled. The girl stared determinedly at the floor. "And next year," Sirius pushed.

Ebony looked straight into his eyes. "I'll miss you, Sirius."

.xXx.

James flopped down on the bed. His search had given no hint as to where they were. There was the bed, a couple of sofas, a bookshelf, fireplace, full bathroom, and kitchen, stocked with food and a refrigerator/freezer. And still he had absolutely no idea where they were.

"I have absolutely no idea where we are," he said. Told you.

"This is ridiculous. I'm going to kill Ebony," Lily muttered. "And Sirius and Remus," she added as an after-thought.

"Yes, well I think I'll just kill Ebony," James mused. "Sirius and Remus were never so good at these kinds of plans. I bet they're the ones who put you in my bed."

"Really? No shit."

"They're expecting us to be here for a while, aren't they?" James asked.

Lily didn't answer, seeing as how she had gotten distracted. "Wait… There's no door!"

"What?"

"There isn't a door!"

James looked around the large room. How could he have missed that fact? "How the hell could they remove the door?"

Lily's brow furrowed. "They might've removed the door, then placed an illusion charm over it…"

"Lily, you've got to be the only sixth year on the planet who can properly cast an illusion charm."

Lily blushed a little at the compliment. "Then what do you think they did, Einstein?" James gave her a blank look. "Never mind."

"I think this is the Room of Requirements."

Lily stared at him. "They wouldn't dare."

.xXx.

Sirius slammed the door shut behind him, ignoring the startled glance Remus gave him. He sat on his bed, resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands. He was shaking from head to toe. Suddenly, he stood and slammed his hand against the wall, resulting in a loud bang that caused Remus to jump and Sirius' fingers to sting. Not that he minded.

"Sirius?" Remus asked delicately.

"She's leaving," Sirius said tightly.

Remus' eyes widened in understanding. "I'm sorry, S—"

Sirius slammed his hand against the wall a second time. He was breathing heavily in attempt to control his anger. He was angry with himself, most of all. He had allowed himself to get caught up with the chit, and now she was leaving. All because she was pretty, and smart, and mischievous, and—No, it did no good to think about it. How could he have been so stupid?

Wordlessly, the wizard picked up his broom and left.

.xXx.

Ebony slammed the door shut behind her, ignoring the startled glance one of the girls gave her. She sat on her bed, resting her elbows on her knees, clasping her hands. She was shaking from head to toe. Suddenly, she stood and slammed her hand against the wall, resulting in a loud bang that caused her other dorm mate to jump and her fingers to sting. Not that she minded.

"Ebony?" Charlotte asked carefully, a little bit afraid.

"I told him," she said tightly, swallowing tears.

"Oh," Charlotte said quietly. Ebony collapsed on her bed with her head in her hands. She had come to Britain in the transfer program because of Lily. Lily had promised cute boys and a bunch of fun. Ebony had been looking forward to a few good snogs to brag about when she got back to France—nothing like what she saw in Sirius. He was handsome, and smart, and mischievous. But it was useless to think about it now. He probably hated her.

Wordlessly, she left the room.

.xXx.

"If this is the Room of Requirements, can't we just _wish_ ourselves out of here, though?" Lily wanted to know.

James shook his head. "They conjured this room up, so we can't make any drastic changes, like adding a door," he said ruefully.

Lily grinned wickedly. "What about a window?"

.xXx.

"Sirius, I— oh, it's you," Ebony trailed off as she entered the door. Remus looked up at her, startled once again. "Remus do you know where Sirius went?"

Remus was quiet for a long minute, staring intently at her. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Ebony fidgeted. "It's a _transfer program_, Remus. I just figured you would all know that it wasn't permanent."

"Do you—" the werewolf suddenly closed his mouth. "Never mind."

"What?"

Remus sighed. "You didn't want him to know, did you?"

"I didn't want to hurt him," Ebony replied quietly. "But I didn't think…"

"That he would react as strongly as he did?" Ebony nodded. "Very well. Quidditch pitch." Ebony smiled her thanks and bolted from the room.

.xXx.

"Alright then, no window," Lily said, nearly defeated.

"What if… What if we weren't _in_ Hogwarts," James said suddenly. Lily looked at him as if he were mad. "We can't change anything on the walls, because they really are part of the room, but what if we weren't standing on Hogwarts _ground_?"

Lily saw where he was going with this. "Then we could Apparate!"

James looked at her uncertainly. "We'll have to do this together…" he extended his hand to her, unsure if she would take it.

Lily eagerly grabbed James' strong hand, then slipped her other hand into his free hand. "So, where are we going?" she asked.

"I was thinking somewhere tropical and warm," James said, eyes closed.

Lily also closed her eyes, envisioning a sunny beach. "Sounds lovely. White sandy beaches and gentle water."

"Palm trees."

"And yummy drinks served in coconuts! With paper umbrellas!" Lily couldn't see James, but she knew he was raising an eyebrow at her. "Don't give me that look."

"Alright." They opened their eyes.

"Oops."

They had fit their entire daydream into their room.

"Hey, look Lily! Your drinks!"

"Shut up, you prat."

.xXx.

By the time Ebony ran out onto the Quidditch pitch, she was out of breath. She gasped desperately as she searched the skies for Sirius Black. _Should've brought a broom._ There he was—that black figure so far above. Ebony put her fingers to her lips and gave the Marauder Whistle. Sirius himself had taught it to her. The figure sped closer. She saw his face when he realized who he was landing for. He tried to pull his broom back up, but it was too late. He landed a little less gracefully than normal, stumbling a bit when he hit the ground.

"What do you want, Jzelle?" he demanded. Ebony stared for a minute. He moved to get back on his broom, but Ebony grabbed his tie and pulled his face down an inch or two so he was looking straight into her eyes.

"You." She leaned forward and kissed him gently.

.xXx.

"Shall we, then?" Lily asked, discarding the empty coconut that had once been her drink.

"Let's." Lily tried to apparate, and found that she couldn't. Same for James.

"Oh, for the love of—"

"Okay, maybe the problem is that we're still touching the ground."

"This is still ridiculous," Lily muttered as she shed her robe, shoes, and socks. James did the same, but, being cocky, arrogant, and entirely gorgeous, he also removed his shirt.

"Let's do this." The two sixth years clasped hands and jumped into their mini-ocean.

And landed in McGonagall's office.

.xXx.

Sirius pulled back as if her lips had burned his. "Eb—"

"Shut up and kiss." She backed the player against the base of one of the hoops, kissing him fiercely. Sirius pulled her lithe body closer to him. Ebony idly played with his hair as they kissed, totally thrilled with the sensation of nearly being one with Sirius Black. Eventually they broke apart to breathe.

"Ebony?"

"Mmm?" she asked, leaning against him.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ebony pulled away, averting her face from his. Sirius looked at her back for a moment, then came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Ebony leaned her head back slightly to rest her own head on his shoulder.

"I didn't want to lose you."

.xXx.

McGonagall stared at the two soaking wet, half dressed sixth years as they picked themselves up from the floor. Once standing, they looked at their professor for a moment, before wordlessly turning and exiting the room. McGonagall stared after them, then continued grading essays, making sure to give both Lily and James O's.

.xXx.

Lily eventually found the energy to get out of the relaxing bubble bath, if only because she wanted to sleep, and she didn't think it was wise to sleep in a bathtub. She reached for her towel and wrapped it around her, then grabbed for her clothes. … Which would've been fine if they were where she had left them.

"MYRTLE!" the only response was evil giggles.

.xXx.

James headed down to the Kitchens, not having the will to run out to the Quidditch Pitch this very instant to kill Sirius. Remus had said the Marauder was entirely furious, having been told that Ebony was leaving. Best to let him cool his head a while longer before throttling the living daylights out of him.

Turning a corner, he collided with a warm body. Both persons tumbled to the floor.

"Ow," said a familiar, distinctly female, voice. James opened his eyes to look into the very green eyes of Lily Evans. Who was clad in only a towel.

"Erm, hello, Lily. Nice, eh, outfit."

Lily blushed crimson. "Funny, Potter. Moaning Myrtle stole my clothes while I was in the prefects' bathroom, and I hadn't my wand with me."

"Ah."

"Planning on getting off of me any time soon?"

"Erm."

"Is that even a word?" her eyes laughed.

"_Meow."_

Lily looked at James strangely. Then her eyes widened. "Mrs. Norris!" they hissed in unison. James yanked Lily to her feet and pulled them both into the nearest cupboard.

"Oh, because this isn't sufficiently awkward or anything," Lily muttered.

"It could be worse," James reasoned quietly.

"And that would be how?"

"You could be stuck in this closet with someone really ugly."

Lily seemed to consider this. "True."

"Or even _worse_…"

"There's worse?"

"You could be stuck in here with Sirius."

"…"

"It's completely dark, and you're wandless and clad only in a towel."

"Gee, because I wouldn't know what it's like to be stuck in a closet with a dirty-minded teenage boy."

"I'm not dirty minded," James said, offended.

"Please," Lily snorted. "That's like saying Snape washes his hair."

"I don't enjoy being spoken of as if I wasn't here," said the pouty voice of Sirius Black. There was the resounding sound of someone smacking him. "Ow, Ebony!"

"What are you two doing in here?" James asked.

"What the hell do you _think_ we're doing in here?" Ebony demanded, a smirk in her voice.

"James?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"Did you _have_ to pull us into the closet where are two best friends were snogging?"

"I seem to be talented like that."

"Wait, why is Lily clad only in a towel?" Sirius demanded.


	7. Fairytale

A/N: Man, I feel really super lame. I mean, it's been like five months. I can't express how positively sorry I am, guys. I just kind of ran dry on this, you know? 'Potter Induced Madness' just kind of sapped me. Now, I have a warning, here. This story _is_ staying totally canon. Which means it's gonna get super sad fairly abruptly. Sorry 'bout that. Don't give up on it, though, 'cos the last chapter is going to be unbearably sweet and sappy. It'll be a happy ending, no matter how depressing the fic itself gets. I promise. I love you all! FM

Disclaimer: No, not really.

"Weird, isn't it?" Ebony asked, tracing the lines on Sirius' palm. Lily and James sat across the Common Room, folded in each other's arms.

"What?" Sirius asked drowsily.

"How all of this turned out," she explained, gesturing to herself and Sirius, then Lily and James. "I mean, two players finally settled down, and two enemies finally admitted their undying devotion. It's a little scary," she admitted.

Sirius pulled her into his arms, tucking her securely against his body. He kissed the back of her neck. "And why is it scary, love?" he asked, continuing his old habit of calling her by pet names.

He couldn't see her brow furrow. "Never mind." But they both knew what she was thinking: how long could it last?

.xXx.

"James, don't worry about this Charms test," Lily soothed as they all left the Great Hall one morning, heading for the class.

"You're great at Charms, mate," Remus added, trying to add color to his friend's pale face. Since when did he worry so much about tests?

Ebony laughed. "Ha! Saying James is great at Charms is like saying I've never slept with Sirius Black!" They all laughed, and Lily rolled her eyes at her friend's lack of shame.

"Darlin', I believe you're gonna make Lily blush wit' all'f your crude werds," Sirius drawled. True to fact, Lily was blushing.

"Oh, shut up, Sirius," James groaned.

"I'll shut him up," Ebony offered eagerly.

"No!" everyone chorused, fearing an infamous E and B snog session. It was a dangerous thing while they were walking.

Fortunately, they had successfully distracted James from his worries. "Seriously you two, I do _not_ need to be sick right now." Then he turned thoughtful. "Then, it _would_ get me out of this test…"

Lily fixed him with a level gaze, but her eyes laughed. "James dear, you know I do not condone ditching class."

James wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her, to the protests of their friends. "Even with me?" He whispered something in her ear.

Lily's face brightened. "Well, then, that changes things. Hey, guys. James is _sick._ I'm gonna take him back up to the _Hospital Wing."_

Everyone groaned, but let their friends go. "I'd swear to god that those to were shagging," Remus said, very uncharacteristically.

Sirius snorted, but Ebony answered, shaking her head. "Nah, Lils is very pro-marriage sex." She rolled her eyes. "Poor kid."

Sirius laughed and kissed her jaw. They passed by a window, hot sun shining in. Remus continued walking, but Sirius and Ebony paused. Neither said anything, but Ebony clung to Sirius desperately. It was summer.

"It's healthy to ditch class now and then," he whispered. Ebony looked up at him with a shaky smile.

"Very."

.xXx.

That afternoon, the Marauders staged a mass water-balloon fight down by the lake. Laughter, screams, and splashes echoed over the water. Bodies were flaunted shamelessly in swim trunks and bikinis. Flirting and teasing prevailed. Boys caught girls in their arms and jumped into the water with them.

James watched his Lily, her hair sparking bright in the sunlight. Suddenly, she ducked behind him, and a great water balloon exploded on his face. Faking anger, he caught her in his arms.

"Babe, you're going to pay for that," he play-growled. Lily squealed and struggled to escape his grasp. True to his word, he gave her a giant hickey at the base of her neck.

"James," she whined, pressing her hand against the mark. Then her eyes lit up. She lunged at him and effortlessly gave him a matching mark. They looked at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

Ebony grinned as Sirius ran off after a little first year who had just lobbed a water balloon at him. Seeing an opportunity, she sidled up to Remus.

"So, Remie," she said quietly, knowing only he could hear her above the din.

He looked at her, startled. His face was automatically suspicious. "What?"

Ebony dragged him a little away from the huge fight. "I know," she said simply, her purple eyes frank.

There could only be one thing she was discussing. Remus paled significantly. "How…?"

She grinned. "I'm me. Use your imagination. Don't worry though. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone, Remus. You're one of my closest friends. I love you in that you're the older brother I never got to have."

He just stared at her. Ebony's grin widened. "Come on, we're missing a great fight!"

Still, behind her smile, her eyes were grimly determined. Her checklist was nearly complete. She'd handcuffed Sirius to her bed. Lily and James were together. She discovered what Remus was hiding. Now she only needed to find out what Pettigrew was up to. Then she could leave with an almost-easy heart.

Almost.


	8. Goodbyes

Disclaimer: When I'm a billionaire, I'll let you know.

A/N: I warned you.

Ebony would readily admit that as the train ride progressed, her grip on Sirius' hand made both of their knuckles turn white. The pauses in conversation for kisses became more frequent. The color drained from their faces.

She thought she might be sick when the train eased to a halt. Neither she nor Sirius moved. Lily, James, and Remus gave them gentle looks, then left the compartment. With a shuddering gasp, Ebony embraced Sirius with painful urgency, knotting her fingers in his hair as she pressed her face against his chest. He held her wordlessly.

"I love you," she said for the first time, her voice even.

"I love you, too."

With that, they left the compartment.

Out on the platform, they leaned against the wall for some minutes. They didn't kiss, but merely held each other. Sure, they would write. Sure, they would visit. Sure. But nothing was ever sure.

Finally, Ebony realized that by delaying Sirius, she was also keeping James waiting. She slowly pulled her face away from his chest, looking up into his pained gray eyes. Reaching up just a little, she kissed his forehead softly. They returned to their waiting friends, who all wore sober expressions.

Ebony tried a watery smile. "Don't look so glum," she said, but her voice quivered. "I'll come visit next Christmas." She tried a smile. No one else answered it. Together, she and Sirius walked through the barrier.

They parted not with words, and not with kisses. Sirius solemnly handed her a pair of fluffy handcuffs, one cuff purple, one silver-gray. "I'll always have the key," he whispered huskily. This goaded a shaky laugh from Ebony, who then kissed him gently. Then Ebony turned and walked away.

She had never solved the problem of Peter.

.xXx.

"We survived to seventh year, after all," Sirius mused as they sat at breakfast the first full day of their seventh year.

James shook his head. "I can't believe it."

Lily tweaked his nose affectionately. "Neither can I," she teased. Even Sirius chuckled, but there was an edge to the sound.

"Oi, did you see the paper today?" Frank Longbottem asked, dropping a paper in front of Sirius and James.

What Frank had been mentioning was the score of a Quidditch game. What Sirius saw was a small article in the bottom corner. He snatched the paper from the table, to James' protest.

_In a small French town, what should have been a day of excitement and expectations turned to a day of sorrow and tears. A seventh year Beauxbatons student was attacked, beaten, and cursed by death eaters in an alley just south of Horizontal Alley. The girl died before the scene could be reached._

_Ebony Jzelle's family had been eagerly anticipating their bright daughter's seventh year, after she spent sixth year as a transfer student in Hogwarts. This devastation has brought deep sorrow to Ebony's family and friends. _

_Ebony was a well-known girl around her town. She was bright, funny, and sharp-witted. This reporter admits to have been quite amused by some of her antics while she was here in Scotland. The loss of such a bubbly person will be deeply felt by all. _

_The death eaters will pay._

Wordless and white, Sirius folded the paper carefully and exactly, then slowly stood, deliberately stepped over the bench. Despite his apparent calm, he dashed to an open window and half-flung his body out, heaving violently.

Deeply startled, James and Remus ran to their friend, who had attracted the attention of most of the Gryffindor table. Lily and Frank unfolded the paper. Lily let out a sharp cry of distress when she saw the small picture of her friend, smiling and tossing her hair.

Disturbed quiet fell over the entire hall as Frank awkwardly patted Lily's back as she sobbed. Everyone looked to them.

"Ebony Jzelle was murdered."

His soft voice echoed through the stunned hall. Sirius retched again.


	9. Hellos

Disclaimer: Nope.

A/N: Here is the hopelessly sappy ending I promised!

Sirius hardly heard Harry's strangled yell as he fell through the thick curtains. He fell for what seemed like ages. As he fell, awareness seeped into his skin. So, this was death without dying? He'd take it. He'd been away from her for too long. And James and Lily. If it was his time to go, he was okay with it.

As he continued to fall, he was startlingly aware that the ravages of Azkaban were being reversed. Scars faded, wrinkles smoothed. Lost muscle and weight swelled again. His lank hair gradually became lustrous and dark. Ragged clothing was replaced by fine black robes.

When finally he fell onto a cloud-soft surface, he was once again Sirius Black, with the face and body of Hogwarts' most handsome player. It was as if the last years had never happened. If only…

Something latched onto his wrist with a satisfying click. Startled, he looked down at his wrist. A fluffy purple handcuff had captured him.

Suddenly, Sirius was being pulled through the dark at racing speeds. He closed his eyes, feeling almost like he was riding his broom once again, with Ebony Jzelle tucked tight in his arms. He could almost hear her voice now, sweet, smooth, mischievous.

"Sirius?" it was like she was speaking in his ear. "Sirius!" that was her excited voice, and his lips twitched into his trademarked sexy grin. So, this was death? It was better than he'd ever dreamed. "Sirius, you great lug, open your eyes! It's me!"

Sirius shook his head, still smiling. "If I open my eyes, I'll ruin my delusion," he explained. "'Cos you're not really there."

"Really?" her voice seemed to be accepting a challenge. It was music to his ears. Suddenly, warm lips descended upon his own, and his silver eyes flew open, startled. Ebony pulled away, smiling with delirious joy.

"Ebony?"

"Sirius."

With a choked laugh, he wrapped his strong arms around her, pressing every line of her body against his own. He trailed kisses down her neck. Then he realized that they were handcuffed together.

"Ebs?" his voice was husky with heat.

She smiled. "You're the one with the key," she reminded him. Laughing softly, he reached into a pocket with his free hand and pulled out the key, then unlocked the two of them. "Do you know how cursed inconvenient that has been since I died?" she asked.

Sirius laughed and kissed her. "Trust me, love, I've missed you just as much."

"I love you," she reminded him, twining her fingers in his.

"I know you do," he murmured against her neck.

Ebony laughed. "You're supposed to say 'Oh, Ebs, pearl of my heart, I love you too!'"

Sirius chuckled. "Since when do I follow the rules?" he kissed her again. "But for the record? Ebs, pearl of my heart, light of my life, I love you."

"Good." They snogged eagerly for a good while before Ebony reluctantly pulled away. "Want me to call in the rest of the Stud Club?" she asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You mean James? And Lily, of course."

Ebony shook her head with the carefree laugh that he had so desperately missed. "Sirius, love, I think you underestimate how long our reunion has lasted in the years of the mortal world." Sirius looked adorably confused, so she had to kiss him. "We don't have a fantastic concept of time here. Sometimes it races, sometimes it drags, just depending. Things we do take much longer. It's been three years or so."

Sirius grinned wolfishly. "Ebs?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"We just had a _three year long_ snog session!" They laughed heartily for probably another few weeks, which made Sirius laugh all the harder at the thought. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Ebony looked at him pityingly. "Remus has joined us."

Instead of being put-out, Sirius grinned, then put his fingers to his lips and gave the Marauder Whistle. Instantly, James and Remus bowled him over, laughing and hugging and slapping good-naturedly. Ebony and Lily stood together, watching their boys with tolerant smiles. If a pair of seventeen year old girls can be tolerant

"Sirius, you're looking a lot better," Remus laughed as they all stood, grinning and back-slapping some more.

"Not too bad, yourself, my friend," Sirius assured him. "And my god, Prongs! You haven't aged a day," he teased.

James laughed and embraced his friend again, much more civilly, this time. The two best friends held on to each other for long, long moments, regretting the years of pain and absence that had separated them.

"God, I missed you," James said, his voice hoarse.

"And you, I," Sirius said quietly. Finally, they stepped back, attempting to inconspicuously dash the tears from their faces while their dearest friends watched with knowing smiles. Then Sirius grinned impishly. "Prongs, you know that you and I just had, like, a four-month _hug."_

James raised his eyebrows and looked to Ebony. "You told him about the time-warp?"

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around Sirius' waist. "He had just gotten here when Remus came along. What was I to say?"

"Wanna meet up with everyone else?" James asked the group, taking Lily's hand.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at a stunning likeness of the Lake back at Hogwarts. A very familiar mass water-balloon fight was taking place. Appropriately dressed, the group dove into the fight eagerly.

In death, all is known, all is understood. Ebony Jzelle's checklist was complete. It was over. Their task in the mortal world was completed.

Harry jerked out of the strangely clear dream of his parents' afterlife, opening his emerald eyes to the darkness that surrounded him. Voldemort had been dead for years. The death eaters were imprisoned. But so many had died… In the blackness, he frantically reached his arm out to the side of him, searching.

"It's okay, Harry," a sweet voice said, taking the searching hand. A slim body pressed against his, and as he wrapped his arms around her, their wedding rings clinked together. He touched his lips to her fragrant hair.

"I know," he whispered, feeling her heart beat against his chest, soothed by the feeling.

"It's over," she soothed, guessing his thoughts about Voldemort. The words of his dream echoed back. _Their task in the mortal world was completed._

But his task was not yet done, not by far. Sounds from the room down the hall made the woman chuckle tolerantly. She rose and pulled back the thick bed hangings, allowing bright light to enter. Harry stood with her, and they went to the room next to theirs.

Funnily enough, someone had already beat them there. Four years old and vibrantly redheaded, Lily was sternly chastising her twin brothers, her emerald eyes level. The two six year olds looked properly ashamed.

"Siri, I don' wanna hear any more from you," she informed her blue-gray eyed brother. He clamped his lips tightly shut. "And Jamesies, if you keep it up, you're gonna wake up Mummy and Daddy." The hazel-eyed child looked properly punished. "Okay?" Both troublemakers nodded, much to the amusement of their parents. The little girl grinned suddenly. "So who's gonna carry me downstairs?"

Surprisingly, both boys jockeyed for the position to carry their beloved little sister. "May I do it?" Harry asked, amused.

All three children looked to the door, startled to see their parents. "You may," Lily said diplomatically.

Chuckling, Harry swept his daughter into his arms, as his slender wife lifted a boy onto each hip with surprising strength.

Down at the breakfast table, Harry looked levelly across the table at his beloved. Past the normal din of three young children, she heard his whisper.

"I love you, Ginny."

A/N: So, a little more canon-ness. Yes, that was the end. However, I am seriously contemplating writing a sequel (my first-ever sequel to anything). It will naturally be centered around Harry and Ginny's children—Lily, Sirius, and James. What do ya'll think? Luv much!

FM


	10. ABOUT THE SEQUEL

This is a head's up, my duckies. The sequel, _Wandering Eyes_ is now in motion! Look it up on my profile. I must say, it's not half-bad!

Lots of luck,

Sam


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